A former New York City subway conductor is accused of stealing $114,000 in worker's compensation in a disability claim, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office says 48-year-old Giovanni Seminerio learned he was getting fired for "disciplinary charges related to his operation of the trains" on Dec. 8, 2015, and on that same day, he filed the claim that he was hurt on the job just a day before and sought the benefits.
Authorities did not provide details on how Seminerio said he was injured, or what was the extent of his injury, but said that Seminerio continued working in law enforcement in other states.
Seminerio, of Alva, Florida, began receiving his worker's comp payments in May 2016, prosecutors said. From October 2016 to August 2019, Seminerio allegedly lied to NYC Transit that he was unemployed, and falsified a Daily Activity Questionnaire submitted with his medical exams.
MTA investigators later found that the former train conductor was working as a corrections officer for Monroe County, Pennsylvania, the Florida Department of Corrections and the Glades County, Florida Sheriff’s Office and as an Enforcement Specialist for the Lee County, Florida Board of County Commissioners, up until January 2020. Upon the discovery of the "double-dipping," Seminerio's benefits were suspended in August 2019, according to prosecutors.
Seminerio was charged with second-degree grand larceny, first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, first-degree falsifying business records and other related charges. He was arraigned Wednesday at the Brooklyn Supreme Court. It's unclear if Seminerio has a representative who can speak on his behalf.
